Winning Annexation Battles

If you're concerned about an annexation
anywhere in the USA then contact CEDS at 410-654-3021 or Help@ceds.org
for an initial no-cost discussion of strategy options.

Are you concerned about how a proposed annexation may affect your quality of
life? If yes, then contact CEDS at 410-654-3021 or Help@ceds.org.
After learning the specifics of the annexation proposal we can usually offer initial strategy suggestions.
Advice by phone is available free to those seeking to prevent
annexation from harming a community or the environment.

The CEDS ApproachFollowing is an introduction to the CEDS approach for winning annexation
battles. We urge you to take a few moments and click: PowerPoint presentation.
In this presentation we use annexations in our home state (Maryland) to illustrate how to win
these battles.

With regard to the CEDS approach, there are two options for applying it to your
effort.

Most Victories Are
Political; Not LegalMost folks who succeed in resolving their concerns about annexation
do so through political action not lawyers. We urge you to try
talking with your local elected officials before hiring an annexation attorney. You will find advice on
working with these officials in Chapter 39 of our free 300-page book,
How To Win Land Development Issues.

If elected officials fail to quickly and
fully resolve your
annexation concerns then we urge you
to mount an aggressive political campaign. Far too many citizens
have lived to regret delaying action in hopes that a bad annexation
would go away. When in doubt, please contact us immediately.
We can give you an initial, no-cost opinion about whether
its time to act. For further detail on the first steps in
launching an aggressive campaign see
Chapter 35 in our
book. If you find you
lack the time for this research then consider having CEDS conduct it for
you through an Initial Strategy Analysis.

The Annexation ProcessAnnexation is a process used to expand the boundaries of a town, city or county.
Most annexations are motivated by an opportunity to develop land at higher
densities or a desire to take land generating higher tax income into
municipal boundaries.

Most towns and cities have a system of pipes for
delivering purified water to each home or business and then carrying away
wastewater to a treatment plant. Homes and businesses outside the
municipal boundary must rely on wells and septic systems. Frequently
health regulations prohibit putting more than one or two housing units on an
acre of land served only by well and septic. But if connected to
public water and sewer, 16 housing units or more might be developed on each
acre.

The land to be annexed must be physically connected to the town or city
boundaries though the connection may be nothing more than a road owned by
the municipality. Depending upon which state you're in, anywhere from
51% of all the property owners or voters living within the proposed
annexation area must agree to be annexed. To see how annexation works
in your state go to:
State-By-State Annexation Summary.

Annexation Should
Enhance Quality of LifeIf annexation follows responsible growth management principles, then it should preserve and
enhance quality of life for you and your neighbors. However, poorly planned annexations can cause
sprawl, traffic congestion, school overcrowding, environmental damage, higher
taxes, and other impacts with few positive effects.

If you live near a town, city, or county
boundary and you fear that adjoining land may be proposed for
annexation, then visit our Proactive Neighborhood Planning to learn how to
prevent harm before the land is annexed. If your area has been
plagued by a series of poorly conceived annexations, then visit our
Quality of Life Growth Management (QoLGM) webpage.
QoLGM employs annexation and other tools to manage growth to not only
preserve, but enhance quality of life for existing and future residents;
not merely to benefit a few property owners or development companies.

A number of states and localities allow the filing of a protest petition
by those concerned about annexation, rezoning, conditional use or special
exception permits. This action requires a super majority vote to
approve the applicant's request. In other words, to approve the
application two-thirds or three-fourths of the members of the town board or
county council must vote in favor. Otherwise an application can be
approved with a simple majority.

Though the requirements vary, usually a minimum percentage of those
owning property within a set distance of the site must sign a petition with
a specific format then file it a set number of days prior to a hearing or
other event. So, your first step should be to determine if the protest
petition option is available then make certain you meet all the
requirements.

Protest petitions are but one of many steps essential to protecting a
neighborhood from poorly planned growth. However, because it is
frequently key to success we opted to bring it to your attention here.
Keep in mind though that a protest petition is but one of a number of steps
to victory. The other steps are described in our free 300-page book,
How To Win Land Development Issues,
and in the other webpages listed in the right column at the top of this
page. If you lack the time to read through all these materials then
consider retaining CEDS to carry out an Initial
Strategy Analysis, which frequently leads to success at a far lower cost
than simply hiring an attorney.